what you need to know to be a personal trainer

[17Lanigan]

Im 18 and I'm a senior in high school I've trained 8 different people before and all were happy with their results I want to follow my dreams and get pay.ed to train people but I have questions like do you need a college degree and what would I have to be certified under to be a strength trainer and what are my possibilities as far as getting payed like does the gym pay me or does my clients pay me and what should I do to get certified I was originally looking at n.a.s.m and is their any real bad side about this career that I might not know about because I don't see any problems with it and what would be the smartest rout going along with this

[Aknomad]

Read the stickies. Then come back with questions you have after that.

[azstrengthcoach]

There is no national minimum quals. In my opinion you should at least have an AA or BS degree

[17Lanigan]

Read the stickies. Then come back with questions you have after that.

What are stickies? I'm new at this

[UnemployedCSCS]

You just need to know how to sell. Sell, sell, sell and that is it. No gym will care about a Bachelor's degree or any certification you have.

[rdferguson]

You just need to know how to sell. Sell, sell, sell and that is it. No gym will care about a Bachelor's degree or any certification you have.

That's how to make big box gyms happy. If you're a one-trick pony and selling is all you're good for, you're going to have a crappy career as a PT. PT's DO need to sell, but if that's all you're good for, then go be a salesman.

[cloudstrife1218]

I agree with you rdferguson. We have to sell ourselves as pt's, but imho your best advertisement tool is your sessions. If people are actually seeing that you train people thoroughly and keep your clients healthy, then the clients will come. I don't remember the last time I actually advertised. My last 10 clients have come from them coming to me after a training session and asking to be trained. Granted, this is most definitley not the norm for trainers, but get your name out there!

To actually answer OP, never stop learning new things about fitness. Strive to always be the most informed and knowledgable person in the gym. If this is your dream then go after a BS in exercise science or a related field. Pursue your dream man, thats what i did, and i'm v

[runawaymomma]

I would say you should get a certification. Find a good college and start working towards a degree while you work at a local gym or the student rec center as a trainer. That way you are getting experience and education. If you want this to be your career you're going to need both to excel.

[JoeCannonMSCSCS]

In this industry a lot of people will tell you that "this is the best cert" but thats not true. There is no best. I have one of those "best" certs but I know nothing is perfect. Here is my guide on how to be a trainer. it will help you avoid mistakes
http://helpforpersonaltrainers.com/h...by-step-guide/

you did say you were "training" people but since you were not certified this technically is not a good thing to do. its like being treated by a doctor who didn't go to medical school.

yes get a well accepted cert but focus on being educated AFTER getting certified. that's the difference between being certified and being qualified. There is a LOT about personal training on my websites including info on NASM. take advantage of it.
Joe

[Ronin4help]

Read the stickies. Then come back with questions you have after that.

The same questions week in and week out. No one wants to read the site, they just want to join and get serviced.

[zalesguy]

The same questions week in and week out. No one wants to read the site, they just want to join and get serviced.

... For free.